Overlooking Muscat, Oman

One of the hottest places I have ever been...ever seen a thermometer hit 50°C/122°F? #nonotfar Stories behind the images. nonotfar.blogspot.com . . . . . . #muscat #oman #mosque #mosquesofworld #mosques #corniche #extremetemps #middleeast #arabianpeninsula #islamicarchitecture #islamicart #islam #azul #traveltales #travelstories #travelwriting #instaoman #visitoman #omantravel

Una publicación compartida por Troy Nahumko (@troynahumko) el Ene 17, 2018 at 3:04 PST

Spain's Hidden Summer Surprises

Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here's my version, then theirs.

As I watched my kids search for a free space in the kiddie pool so that they could practice their newly acquired skills the other day at the Ciudad Deportiva outdoor pool, wondering why the pool next to it inexplicably sat closed off, I came to realize what an important part of life public outdoor pools play in Spain. Tourists trudging through the UNESCO cores that dot this country under the fierce midday summer sun in search of a typically Spanish experience that they can tell their friends back home about often wonder why the only life they seem to come across are people trying to sell them something. Why are the city centres only filled with tourists? Where are the people that actually live amongst these beautiful, if terribly hot stones? What they don’t know is that the locals lucky enough to not be working are either themselves on holiday, in their villages…or cooling off at the closest public pool. I can’t think of many other places in this country where you can encounter such a broad cross section of society gathered in one place. Not even the awkwardly segregated school system comes close to reuniting so many people from such different backgrounds together. Families complete with picnics who come to spend the day, teenagers being teenagers, groups of retired men and women, immigrants like myself and even a brave few who were actually there to do sport, all trying to find a bit of wiggle room. The local pool is the definition of summer for many that find themselves far from the coasts and damed up rivers that flow down from the moutains during these months. I know a few other travel writers desperate for a story that goes beyond how beautiful Santa Maria is at sunset that would pay for this hidden insight into Spanish society but at least until they open that third pool up again and perhaps a few more, I think we should keep this refreshing secret to those of us who live here.